Inside World Football - Page 1848 of 2235 - For the Business of Football

Cayman Premier declares the islands open for business and sports tourism

Sports minister and Jeff webb

By Paul Nicholson in Grand Cayman
August 25 – At a reception in honour of the inaugural CONCACAF U-15 championship, the Premier of the Cayman Islands, Alden McLaughlin, declared the country “open for business and sports tourism. I am immensely proud and honoured that we in Cayman are hosting this U15 tournament – the first (under 15 tournment) for CONCACAF. It is also appropriate since we in Cayman also have the CONCACAF president.”

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Spanish taxman lines up €50m payout from La Liga superstars

Lionel Messi 2

By Alex O’Loughlin
August 26 – The Spanish tax authorities will collect almost €50 million from star trio Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and Neymar for the 2013-14 tax year.

Africa

Nigeria’s Keshi to be reported to FIFA for racist radio outburst

stephen keshi

By Mark Baber
August 25 – Malawi’s Belgian national team coach Tom Saintfiet says his solicitors will be reporting Stephen Keshi (pictured) to FIFA after the Nigerian national team coach called him “a white dude who should go back to Belgium.”

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Barca are first sports team to hit a million YouTube subs

Barca on YouTube

By Alex O’Loughlin
August 23 – Barcelona have become the first football club in the world to boast more than a million YouTube subscribers to its channel.

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Paddy Power bets on Arsenal as SBOBet sign Saints for Asia

Paddy Power Arshavin ad

By Mark Baber
August 23 – Arsenal Football Club has announced betting company Paddy Power as its Official Betting Partner in the UK, Ireland and Italy for the next three years.

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FIFA sticking to principles as Russians scramble to placate IOC on gay law

jerome valcke3

By Andrew Warshaw
August 23 – FIFA general secretary Jerome Valcke (pictured) is keeping up the pressure on Russia over the country’s contentious new anti-gay legislation, saying his organisation will not accept any form of discrimination at the 2018 World Cup.

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UEFA hands out life bans to Armenian refs for match-fixing attempt

UEFA badge

By Mark Baber
August 23 – Armenian referee Andranik Arsenyan and assistant Hovhannes Avagyan have been handed life bans by UEFA’s Control and Disciplinary Body (CDB) after admitting attempting to manipulate the outcome of a Europa League match.

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On-Off Bale saga now looks set to smash world record transfer fee

Gareth Bale

By Andrew Warshaw
August 23 – The world record fee for a footballer looks set to be smashed in the next few days when Tottenham Hotspur’s exciting Welshman Gareth Bale is finally sold to Real Madrid after a long-drawn-out transfer saga.

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English FA rings more change as Pearce exits and Southgate returns

Gareth Southgate

August 23 – The future of English football at under-21 level and below has been placed in the hands of Gareth Southgate who is heading back to the Football Association in succession to Stuart Pearce, who left in June after a disappointing group stage exit at the European under-21 finals in Israel.

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El Salvador suspends 22 players and opens match-fixing investigation

Carlos Mendes

By Andrew Warshaw
August 23 – In one of the most alarming match-fixing scandals of recent months, El Salvador has temporarily suspended 22 players, drawing an immediate response from its governing confederation, CONCACAF, which said it was “deeply saddened” by the allegations.

Lee Wellings

Lee Wellings: Jose The Simple One

The best football managers in history are often celebrated for their personalities. Their charisma. Their humour. Their temper.

But ultimately a club stands or falls on its team sheet. The players that these managers have selected.

The thing about Ferguson or Zagallo, Shankly, Clough, even Michels is that they knew which players they needed and how to use them, it’s as simple as that. No one-liner, no piece of motivation, not even a footballing philosophy like ‘total football’

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Merthyr Town stadium to be called Cigg-e Stadium

cigg-e

By Mark Baber
Merthyr Town, a non-league Welsh club that plays in the English Southern League, has sparked controversy by signing a naming rights deal with electronic cigarettes company Cigg-e for their stadium for the next three years.

Africa

Globacom playing hard ball over Ghana Premier League sponsorship

kwesi-nyantakyi

By Mark Baber
The president of the Ghana Football Association (GFA), Kwesi Nyantakyi, is in Nigeria for talks with Globacom whose sponsorship of the Ghana Premier League came to an end at the end of the 2012-13 season and who have outstanding debts of $2.2m.

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United link up with Indian company in eye-catching new partnership

apollo-manu

By Andrew Warshaw in manchester
August 22 – An Indian tyre manufacturer has signed a three-year deal with Manchester United in what is believed one of the first football partnerships of its kind in a country far more synonymous with sports like cricket and field hockey.

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FA celebrates old rule book, Dyke still wants new thinking on Winter 2022

Dyke and Hodgson

By Andrew Warshaw
August 22 – English Football Association chairman Greg Dyke has again reiterated his preference for a winter World Cup in Qatar in 2022. Dyke, who succeeded David Bernstein earlier this summer, has already clashed with the Premier League which is leading the campaign to keep the tournament in June and July.